Pollution control system for discharging operations of coke oven

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method is detailed for effecting pollution control for a coke oven battery during the coke removal operation, and the transporting of the coke to the next processing area. A canopy means is disposed over the area which contains the coke. An exhaust manifold and exhaust means associated therewith are adapted to be connected to the canopy means. A plurality of individually operable dampers are spaced along the travel path of the coke, and a damper control system is provided. The control system is actuated through predetermined dampers which are disposed to connect the exhaust manifold to the canopy means, with the rest of the dampers remaining closed. Substantially all the evolved pollutants are collected via the dampers and the exhaust manifold for processing.

m R v0 J v E N w I F. R R S 0 Nu d M e m N H m J 0 July 17, 1973 POLLUTION CONTROL SYSTEM FOR DlSCHARGING nvvs/vron JOSEPH N. MORRISON, Jr. 8 va -a Ulla,

y his Aflornoys United States Patent O'flice 3,746,626 Patented July 17, 1973 US. Cl. 202-263 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus and method is detailed for effecting pollution control for a coke oven battery during the coke removal operation, and the transporting of the coke to the next processing area. A canopy means is disposed over the area which contains the coke. An exhaust manifold and exhaust means associated therewith are adapted to be connected to the canopy means. A plurality of individually operable dampers are spaced along the travel path of the coke, and a damper control system is provided. The control system is actuated through predetermined dampers which are disposed to connect the exhaust manifold to the canopy means, with the rest of the dampers remaining closed. Substantially all the evolved pollutants are collected via the dampers and the exhaust manifold for processing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the commercial production of large quantities of coke a significant amount of atmospheric pollution occurs when the coke is removed from the coke forming oven, during What is termed a discharging operation. Further atmospheric pollution occurs as the coke is exposed to the atmosphere in traveling from the coke oven discharge position to the next processing step which is typically a quenching operation. Most of the pollution is caused by the hot coke coming into contact with the air, and, therefore, the pollution problem is localized.

The production of coke from coal, and the coke oven equipment is thoroughly described in The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel, 8th edition, 1964, pages 98- 121, published by United States Steel Corporation. Most coke is prepared in a slot-type by-product coke oven of uniform design, wherein slot-type refers to the discharge doors which are made through slotted openings. In attempting to effect elimination of air pollution during the removal of the coke from the coke oven and during the transportation of the hot coke, it is extremely important that the pollution control equipment be readily compatible with the existing coke oven facilities. It is also very desirable to effect the maximum pollution control effort with a realistic expenditure for the pollution control equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An effective yet economically practical pollution control system is disclosed for use with existing or proposed coke oven batteries during the discharge and transporting operation, after discharge has been provided, by disposing canopy means about the area in which coke is disposed. An exhaust manifold including exhaust means associated therewith is adapted to be connected to the canopy means. A plurality of individually operable dampers are spaced along the travel path of the coke. The dampers are operable to open predetermined dampers which are disposed to connect the exhaust manifold to the canopy means in the coke containing areas, with the rest of the dampers being closed, whereby substantially all the evolved pollutants are collected for processing to eliminate atmospheric pollution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view from above of a typical coke oven battery to which the pollution control system of the present invention has been applied;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An exemplary embodiment of a typical slot-type coke oven battery is shown in FIG. 1. The coke oven battery 10 is a slot-type, by-product coke oven having a plurality of slot-type ovens within which the coke is prepared. The coke 11 is removed from a single oven by first removing the slot doors -12 at both sides of the oven, and then pushing the coke 11 from the oven by means of a pusher or ram 13 from one side of the oven. A coke guide 14 which is movable along tracks 14a is placed at the discharge side slot to guide the coke into the coke receiving and transporting means 15, which is typically a wheeled vehicle or coke car, which is generally disposed on fixed tracks 16. An exhaust manifold 17 including exhaust means 18, typically a large fan associated therewith, is disposed proximate the area through which the coke is transported.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 a canopy means 19 comprising a hood is fitted over and structurally supported by the coke transporting means 15. The canopy means 19 is thus transportable with the means 15. The canopy means 19 comprises a top portion 20, which extends from the outside of the coke car 15 over to the cokeoven battery, a side portion 21 which extends upwardly from the coke car 15 to the top portion 20, and end portions 22 at each end of the car 15 extending up to meet the top portion 20. The end portions 22 also extend over to the coke battery above the coke guide 14 which passes between the end portions 22 and the oven battery 10. The canopy means 19 thus define a localized coke containing work compartments which can be very effectively exhausted. A plurality of individually operable dampers 23 are disposed to connect the exhaust manifold 17 to the canopy means 19. The dampers 23 are spaced along the travel path which the coke must follow. The exhaust means 18 provides a sufiicient air transport velocity within the exhaust manifold 17 for effecting removal of the evolved coke emissions and waste gases. A venturi type dust and fume scrubber 18a is typically disposed between the exhaust manifold 17 and the exhaust means 18 to effect removal of particulate matter. The exhaust from the scrubber and the exhaust means may be directed to a quenching tower 25 to eliect further processing of the exhaust material.

The dampers 23 have an actuating device such as a mechanical tripping mechanism 24, comprising a trip rod 24a extending from each damper 23, which are engaged by a tripping bar 25b extending from the top surforces a damper open via the rod 24a and keeps it open while the tripping bar 24b engages the rod. This means that each damper disposed over that portion of the travel path at which the coke-car and coke happens to be located is open, while all other dampers remain closed. As the coke-car advances down the track, the tripping bar 24b engages the next succeeding rod 24a while releasing others it has passed. In this way a predetermined number of open dampers 23 connect the canopy means 19 to the exhaust manifold 17. The tripping bar 241) can be moved to avoid contacting rods 24b, such as when an empty car 15 is being moved along the track.

The system described allows a very localized exhaust effort which yields effective atmospheric pollution control with a minimum sized exhaust and scrubber system. The number and spacing of dampers is dependent upon the damper opening size and the desired air transport volume and velocity. By way of example for a. typical oven battery, regardless of the number of slots, the exhaust manifold would have a diameter of about feet and the exhaust system such as to provide an air transport velocity of approximately 3,000 feet per minute, with a scrubber system which handles about 250,000 cu. ft. per minute.

In another embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 3, the basic coke oven battery 10 and associated equipment are the same as describedabove with reference to FIG. 1. In the embodiment, canopy means 26 has a side portion 27 which extends vertically along the length of the battery 10 and the coke transporting path spaced far enough from the battery to permit the coke car topass therebetween. The canopy means 26 also has a top covering portion 28 which is an inverted generally U-shaped segment, which is joined to the side portion 27, both of which are structurally supported by vertical beams 29. The top covering portion 28 and side portion 27 may be formed as a single unit, if desired. The canopy means 26 further has a plurality of fixed curtain wall portions 30 which are disposed within the space covered and defined by the side and top portions 27 and 28. The wall portions 30 extend perpendicular to the coke travel path between the oven battery 10 and the side portion 27. A vertical section 31 of the wall portion 30 is disposed over the tracks 16 and is spaced from the tracks a distance which allows coke car 15 to pass underneath. A horizontal section 32 of the wall portion 30 extends from the vertical section 31 to the oven battery 10 and is so arranged as to permit the guide 14 to pass along the length of the trackway without interference from wall portions 30.

The fixed curtain walls 30 are spaced along the coke travel path at a distance which is preferably approximately equal to or less than the length of the coke car 15 as will be explained later in detail. A plurality of work compartments 26a are thus defined by side portions 27 and top portions 28 of the canopy means and by the spaced curtain walls 30.

A proximity sensor 34 is provided preferably on each fixed curtain Wall 30 near the bottom of the vertical section 31. The sensor 34 detects the presence of the coke car 15 passing underneath to actuate or open specific dampers 23. The sensor 34 can be a limit switch, photoelectric cell or other such well known device. When using a sensor which generates an electrical signal, such electrical signal is generated when the coke car 15 passes a given curtain wall 30 and sensor 34, thus entering a work compartment. The electrical signal is carried via conductors 33 to drive a damper opening means 34a which is connected to the dampers 23 disposed over the work compartment into which the coke car is advancing. The proximity sensors are interlocked toopen and close sets of dampers in the work compartments defined be tween curtain walls, as the coke transporting means passes from one work compartment to another. Thus, as the coke transporting means passes a particular curtain wall, the dampers above the work compartment to which the car is moving are opened, and when the end of the car passes a given fixed curtain wall, it closes the dampers in the work compartment through which the coke has passed. This system again localizes the exhaust effort to provide effective pollution control. By spacing the curtain walls a distance approximately equal to or less than the length of a coke car, the exhausting operation is limited to the contiguous Work compartments in which a car may be present at a given time. This optimizes the exhausting operation. The exhaust means 18, scrubber 18a, and quenching tower 25 for this embodiment are conventional, such as those described hereinabove in the first embodiment of the present invention.

It is apparent that a plurality of exhaust means could be provided for the exhaust manifold as Well as a plurality of scrubbers. The dampers could also be actuated by a workman or can be automatically operable. A manual override should be provided so that the dampers can be kept closed when a non-coke loaded car is being moved along the path, i.e., such as when a car is returning after being emptied.

I claim:

1. In combination with a slot-type coke oven battery, and means for receiving and transporting the prepared, discharged coke from the oven battery to succeeding processing areas, the improvement which comprises:

(a) canopy means disposed about the area into which coke is disposed upon discharge from the exit slot of said oven battery, comprising a top portion extending from the coke-oven battery over the travel path of the discharged coke, a side portion extending downwardly from the top portion and spaced from the coke-oven battery whereby the travel path of discharged coke is substantially enclosed, and a plurality of compartmentalizing portions extending between the coke-oven battery and the top and side portions of the canopy means along said battery, said compartmentalizing portions spaced along said travel path with any two successive such compartmentalizing portion and the top and side portions therebetween thereby defining a localized canopy means;

(b) an exhaust manifold including exhaust means associated therewith, adapted to be connected to said canopy means;

(c) a plurality of dampers along the travel path of the coke for connecting said exhaust manifold to said canopy means; and

(d) means integral with the means for receiving and transporting the coke for automatically individually actuating predetermined dampers; whereby these dampers are opened along the coke travel path which correspond with the position of the discharge coke at any given time while the other dampers are closed, so that the exhaust effort required for said exhaust means is localized for collecting substantially all the pollutants evolved from the coke during the discharge and transporting thereof.

2. The combination as specified in claim 1, including dust and fume scrubber means associated with said exhaust manifold and exhaust means.

3. The combination as specified in claim 1, including a quenching tower associated with said exhaust manifold and exhaust means.

4. The combination as specified in claim 1, wherein said means for individually actuating predetermined dampers include proximity sensors disposed on each compartmentalizing portion, which proximity sensor responds to the presence of the coke transporting means.

5. The combination as specified in claim 1, wherein said coke receiving and transporting means comprises a wheeled coke car which travels on a track system, and wherein said fixed curtain walls are spaced along the coke transportation path at a distance approximately 5 equal to or less than the length of said wheeled coke car.

6. The combination as specified in claim 1, wherein said compartmentalizing means comprise fixed curtain walls, which have a cut-out portion which terminates spaced from the oven battery permitting passage of said coke receiving and transporting means therebetween.

7. The combination as specified in claim 1, wherein said cut-out portion of said fixed curtain walls terminate spaced from the oven battery to permit passage of a coke discharge guide therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 809,645 1/ 1906 Treat 202227 X 6 6/ 1957 Hughes 202228 X 12/1970 Sehon 202227 9/1969 Tatterson 202262 12/ 1971 Nashan et a1 202229 FOREIGN PATENTS 3/1968 Germany 202263 U.S. Cl. X.R. 

